The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) banned two bulk carriers from Australian ports on September 11 for breaching “the most basic” rights of seafarers.
The Panama-flagged Fortune Genius in Gladstone and the Xing Jing Hai in Brisbane have been banned for a period of 12 months and 18 months respectively for failing to pay crew their wages in full and on time.
AMSA surveyors boarded the Fortune Genius in Gladstone after receiving a complaint via the International Transport Workers’ Federation...

The U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Federated States of Micronesia Police and good Samaritans rescued seven people adrift on their 18-foot vessel for six days during a joint rescue mission near the Mortlock Islands, Chuuk State, Micronesia, on Saturday.
The boaters, missing since September 8, were located by a Navy Commander Task Force (CTF)-72 P-8 Poseidon aircrew, 224 statute miles east northeast of Satawan Atoll and were then rescued by the crew of the patrol vessel FSS...

Stable crewing can improve safety, well-being and financial outcomes, according to a new report led by researchers from Solent University.
Stable crewing, within the merchant shipping industry, is where the same top four senior officers (Captain, Chief Officer, Chief Engineer and Second Engineer) operate on a back-to-back basis and return to the same vessel for several voyages, with all four joining and leaving the vessel at the same time. More usually, companies operate a fluid system, where senior officers are...

Autonomous ships are a hot topic in the maritime sector; piracy and armed robbery too. Since the beginning of the year, according to the IMB, almost 100 attacks have been committed against ships all around the world. 2018 saw a marked increase in attacks compared to the past few years.
Here is an attempt to describe an autonomous ship hijacking scenario.
The scenario
In 2025, an autonomous ocean-going container ship is chartered on a busy commercial line between China and...

Douglas B. Mackie, Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) from 1995 to 2011, passed away on September 11, 2019.
Mackie also served in many leadership roles at the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) including Association President several times. “We have lost an industry giant,” said William P. Doyle, CEO & Executive Director of the DCA.
The DCA recounts some of Mackie's life and achievements:
Mackie’s grandfather James and his great uncle Tom worked in the...

The stem, the forward-most curve of the hull, has been installed on the sailing cargo ship Ceiba being built in Costa Rica.
The 148-foot (45-meter) tallship is being built completely by hand in a “jungle shipyard” - El AstilleroVerde - by SAILCARGO Inc. The three-masted square-topsail schooner is designed to carry cargo along the west coast of the Americas. The project team hope that Ceiba will be flagship for Costa Rica, transforming the maritime industry by providing a carbon-negative alternative...

As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, the American Waterways Operators (AWO) has released a video highlighting the importance of the country's tugboat, towboat and barge industry.
"Barge transportation is the unsung hero of America's transportation system," AWO's Executive Vice President & COO Jennifer Carpenter explains in the video. "Most Americans haven't seen a barge, or a towboat, or a tugboat, but benefit from barge transportation every day."
“The tugboat, towboat and barge industry supports more than 300,000 jobs and...

The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), the independent body of experts that advises the United Nations on marine sciences is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
GESAMP, administered by the IMO, was conceived in 1969 when the United Nations began planning for what would become the era-defining environmental conference, held in Stockholm in 1972. In the run-up to that conference, the need emerged for an international body to undertake independent assessments and research to...

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has launched newly-accredited, web-based training courses on cargo preference laws and regulations.
The courses were developed in collaboration with Defense Acquisition University and are intended to enhance comprehension of and compliance with cargo preference laws by other federal agencies, supporting contractors and loan and grant recipients.
Cargo preference laws and regulations protect the nation’s cargo interest by statutorily mandating the use of U.S.-flag vessels for cargo purchased, furnished or financed with federal...